The Amazing Z-Ray Machine: Don't Be Fooled by the Flashing Lights and Slick Sales Pitch!

In the spring of 1953, hundreds of nondestructive testing (NDT) professionals gathered at the Western Metal Congress in Los Angeles, prepared for a groundbreaking announcement that promised to render all known NDT methods obsolete.

What they got instead was the most glorious hoax in NDT history.

Engineer Henry N. Staats, backed by his boss at Magnaflux Corporation, unveiled what he called the "Z-ray Machine"—a spectacularly noisy, blinking, beeping device powered by nothing more than creative storytelling, buzzer circuits, and flash powder.

The machine "inspected" a propeller blade with wild lights, sirens, and even a screeching dog-triggering sequence known as the “Screeman Zeeman Beeman Effect.” Staats explained that the Z-ray machine used high-velocity “ZeeBees” to reverse electron spin, generate heat, and emit “dipolar radiation.” It was total nonsense—and the audience bought it.

The prank was a theatrical masterstroke. Sophisticated engineers, scientists, and industry veterans were left scratching their heads, captivated by the absurdity and spectacle. The performance culminated in the machine "certifying" the blade as defect-free, to uproarious applause. But it didn’t stop there...

Engineer Henry N. Staats and HIs "Amazing Z-Ray Machine"

By popular demand, the Z-ray machine went on tour: Cleveland, Los Alamos, PTA fundraisers, even bowling banquets. Later iterations featured flagpoles, flash bombs, ping pong ball launches, and patriotic Sousa marches. Companies tried to buy the machine. One TV weatherman built a replica to forecast the weather. Staats even "tested" a man-in-a-horse-costume at a PTA meeting to determine if it was alive—only to theatrically shoot the horse when it was declared dead.

The whole affair, as Staats reflected decades later, became a kind of NDT folk legend. His original, serious presentation on conductivity ended up with only 14 attendees. But the prank? Hundreds. The lesson? As his boss put it, “The whole world loves a clown.”

But there’s a deeper message here, too.

The Z-ray machine was satire—yes—but also a clever commentary on our fascination with jargon, overreliance on technology, and blind trust in blinking lights. It called into question how easily even seasoned professionals can be fooled by a slick presentation if it sounds technical enough.

In today’s era of AI and NDT 4.0, the Z-ray machine serves as a reminder: Don’t check your critical thinking at the door.

Always ask questions. Challenge assumptions. And once in a while, laugh.

Learn More About NDT History and Innovation

Want more tales like this one? Visit eddycurrent.com for a curated archive of the pioneers, pranksters, and powerhouses that shaped the NDT industry. From electromagnetic legends like Dr. Förster to modern AI-assisted eddy current tools, it’s the only site you need to explore everything ECT and beyond.